How many people do we need in our church?


This question, posed in different ways, inquires when we'll meet that certain threshold, that moment when the church is no longer considered "a plant" but planted.  It's a question asked to divine that moment of critical mass, the necessary "material" when the church becomes both sustainable and influential in the community.  In short, it's asking when we become a church.

Here's your challenge and mine: Such is always is the wrong question to ask.

I was reminded of this fact again in my sermon prep (yes, I do my own!).  One commentary notes the following exchange and helpfully opines:

A young preacher once complained to Charles Spurgeon, the famous British preacher of the 1800s, that he did not have as big a church as he deserved.

“How many do you preach to?” Spurgeon asked.

“Oh, about 100,” the man replied.

Solemnly Spurgeon said, “That will be enough to give account for on the day of judgment.”

We do not measure the fulfillment of a ministry only on the basis of statistics or on what people see. We realize that faithfulness is important and that God sees the heart. [1]

I post this important reminder not just for pastors, but for all of us.  This is for those of us who would be excited to hit 50, let alone 100.  We who wonder when we have enough people to be considered a church.

We are a church, and the Lord calls us to faithfulness!

Consider again what defines a church.  Based on what Scripture says, Reformed churches developed three marks of any gathering calling themselves "churches:" 1) the preaching of the gospel, 2) the administration of the sacraments, and 3) the use of church discipline.  Definitionally, then, we are a church.  

I'm thankful for our faithful gathering, seeing how God is working in each member's life! I'm also thankful God is adding to our number, while I certainly pray God adds more.  I hope you are thankful for these things, as well.

However, let us never give into the temptation to think we need more to "arrive."  We are a church. Let us instead continue to be faithful to the gathering that exists under His holy providence.

_________________

[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 2:254.

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